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Topic Review (Newest First)

08-27-2016 07:16 AM

hachi

Very excited to see your new set up! Have you started a thread for it yet?

07-26-2016 02:33 PM

crazydaz

That's a loaded question, NetCode. I think, primarily, I learned how to add another dimension to a set up by growing plants above the waterline as a riparium. Not that it hadn't been done before, but it was certainly something that I hadn't attempted until then. I was also able to learn how to reach an equilibrium between the plants above and below the water's surface. Being published in two different hobbyist magazines was an honor, but I learned the type of hard work that it takes to achieve that. I also learned what it took to keep that type of setup going successfully, and to know what that required for fertilization, algae issues, water changes, etc. Perhaps most importantly, I learned to be patient with a setup....that all aquarium setups come with both general and unique issues to that setup, and that problems and issues can be resolved through patience, rational thinking, and persistence.

MTS, in this context, means "Mineralized Top Soil." MTS is also used for Malaysian Trumpet Snails, but you can figure out which one fits based on the context of the article. Dogfish makes/made the best, and I knew that it would be easier for me to buy it off of him, than to try to make a batch on my own. I often travel for my job, and don't have the time or the resources to make MTS on my own. There are directions out there to make your own MTS, and it works very well for growing plants. Aaron Talbot has a good recipe on APC.com, and there are likely similar ones here on TPT.

I also add my own additions to substrate. A bottom, thin layer of plain kitty litter and peat granules seem to do very well at providing the type of iron heavy root feeders need, such as crypts and sword species, but really, any plant that sends out roots into the substrate will benefit, even if they receive most of their nutrient uptake directly from the water column. Root tabs are great to add in as well, and I think that if you could find some root tabs that add a source of clay to the substrate, your plants will take on a new dimension. Or, simply start over, and add a small layer of plain, cheap kitty litter, if you want (easier said than done, of course!).

07-26-2016 01:47 PM

Netcode

crazydaz: That is a logical explanation, and a good one. Three years is certainly a long time to have a tank running, I think you achieved stability. What do you think was the biggest/most significant thing you learned from the previous scape? I am always interested in the learning process, and what triggered it. In setting up my new tank, with two previous setups under my belt, the most significant thing I learned was the importance of a good substrate. I made the same mistake again and used plain gravel due to cost, hoping that enough root tabs would do the job, but it just doesn't. I am curious, what exactly is the MTS you used in the previous scape? I thought it meant trumpet snails, but it seems like you used MTS in reference to your substrate from DogFish?

07-25-2016 10:43 PM

ScubaSteve

[QUOTE=crazydaz;9421417]Thanks AJA and Scuba. New journal should be up in the next week or two, depending on my travel for work. Scuba, I'd be happy to help you with a new set up, if you would like some pointers or advice, which you are absolutely free to take or refuse as you wish.

I appreciate that! When I finally get the size tank I want, I will be hitting you up!

07-25-2016 10:24 PM

crazydaz

Thanks AJA and Scuba. New journal should be up in the next week or two, depending on my travel for work. Scuba, I'd be happy to help you with a new set up, if you would like some pointers or advice, which you are absolutely free to take or refuse as you wish.

TLyons: you know me! :-) I enjoy flirting with hobbyists.

Netcode: Certainly, I suppose that there is a note of "melancholy" to tearing down a set up that was doing well in favor of a new one, and I can understand how you feel. The money involved comes and goes, and though I have certainly spent a bit of fair coin to get the items and species I felt would improve the set up and help it reach its potential, I also have made a nice sum over the years by selling plants. I have given plenty of items away as well, which brings a nice sense of satisfaction, or made trades. If it's worth doing, then it's worth spending money on, within reasonable limits. For me, it's less about the sense of pride in reaching a goal; rather, it is more about the learning process and experimentation that drives me. This last set up had been going for three years. I had gleamed a lot of information from doing it and satisfied a lot of curiosities I had, and as "stability" was one of those goals I had set for myself, I felt that had been accomplished, and it was time to try something new, and continue the journey towards other things. I will try to push myself to accomplishing additional wisdom with this next "scape" and to learn from my mistakes. I would imagine that this next set up will probably have to last 3-5 years.

However, there is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying your work. Don't misinterpret what I am saying. You should keep your set up for as long as you wish, and I wish you continued success with it! For me, it's hard to stay still when there is so much more I feel I need to learn about the hobby. I enjoy "getting in there" and seeing what else I can do or not do. It's more relaxing to work on the tank than it is to sit down and look at it, and so when there is not much more that I can do, it's time to move on, and try a new or different approach.

07-25-2016 07:50 PM

Netcode

I was browsing through the first 56 pages looking at your tank with the manzi branches sticking out and was absolutely blown away. I got to about page 14 and said, I wonder what the final product looks like. So I flipped to the last page to see you tore it down and are starting a brand new scape. I am surprised, the money you must have spent on the first one must have been outrageous, and to think of all the rare plants you sourced. Then to tear it down!? :O woweeee. I have a 60 gallon (I have a tank journal going on now, however it is no where near the scale of yours and I am super amateur) and I am only using common plants and whatever rock/wood I can find for free yet I am super attached to it. Thinking of tearing it down would kill me. I don't know how you do it! I am super interested to see what you come up with this time because last time it was mind blowing. Good luck!

07-25-2016 06:39 PM

ScubaSteve

Please let us know when you get the new thread started! I want to hire you to help me set up a tank!!

07-25-2016 05:48 PM

aja31

New hardscape looks really cool. Looking forward to the next iteration!

07-25-2016 03:08 AM

tlyons01

you are such a tease.....

07-24-2016 11:42 PM

crazydaz

Tank is over. Will be starting a new thread on the new set up. Here are teaser shots:

Woody...Rachel got several pairs in for me, and shipped them to me after quarantine period.

02-15-2016 05:57 PM

Woody0229

Pelvicachromis taeniatus “Moliwe." Are these coming from a local fish store or are you getting those from a breeder? Absolutely insane tank as always.

02-10-2016 01:58 AM

crazydaz

Tefsom85: Adam is right...,they are pretty easy to find. I got most of mine from airplantcity.com, I think, but I ordered around. They ship very well, and I never lost a plant from any of the vendors I used. You shouldn't have any issues.

02-09-2016 06:08 AM

AdamTill

Tillandsias are pretty easy to find online and in most garden centers. They're even in some grocery stores etc.

02-09-2016 03:01 AM

tefsom85

You probably touched on this in one of previous 54 pages but can you tell me where you got all of your emersed plants (air plants?) for your previous rendition(s) of this tank. Definitely something that I would like to add on to my display.

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